301 - Just a Game
by hyperpsychomaniac
Summary: Set after the second season. Chuck searches to bring Lady Illusion back from the game, Lord Fear and Ace try and settle a score, and Ace lets out they've all just come from a video game designed to entertain mortal children.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: **Okay, so I recently re-watched the whole series of Ace Lightning, and I got the urge to give it a bit of closure. So I'm going to (attempt to) write a season 3/final season. It's probably not going to go where the series writers meant it to go (I seriously expect they had more than one more season in store, they were still going up the story arc at the end of season 2, I'm sure). I'm aiming for about six or seven 'episodes' but we'll see where that goes too.

Reviews, as always, would be appreciated. I'm trying a slightly different POV style for this than I usually use, so it sounds more like a TV show. So, hopefully that works. :)

* * *

_It started out as just a game. The irony was that when everyone found this out, that was when it became the most real. Real danger. Real consequences. I suppose it's always been the case. I was just too blind to see it before now. We know there are two worlds now. And one wanted the other for its own. Two worlds could not co-exist. Not without irreparable damage being done to one or the other. But it was far too complex to break down into 'them or us'. Destroying one was not an option. At least, it never had been. They were intertwined, and I fear we're too far gone to stop them tearing each other apart._

* * *

_Hey Pete, I know it's been a while. I've got a lot on my plate, and before you ask, no it's not to do with Ace Lightning. I've been catching up on my homework. Yes, I still remember what that is. My grades have improved, and I've even had the chance to re-take my driver's test. Which I passed. I figure I may as well catch up whilst I can; things are going good for now, but I suspect they won't stay that way for long._

_Ace seems… okay. He's asked me a bit more about the game and I explained it to him, as well as about the Master Programmer. He seems to be handling it alright, though I'm not sure if he's told anyone else yet. But Chuck is busy working on getting Lady Illusion out of the game, so once she's back I'm sure that will cheer Ace up._

_The Thunder Tower_

"Mark, my man!" Chuck was seated at the desk in the Thunder Tower. Along with about every piece of computer equipment he owned. There were monitors and hard drives everywhere. The cables were the worse, wrapping around everything in a tangle and spreading out across the floor. The monitors cast a blue glow over the boy's face and, worryingly, some of the power cables hooked up to the transformer were sparking blue energy.

Mark took this in with a raised eyebrow. "Chuck, are you sure all this is safe?"

Chuck gave his friend what was supposed to be an encouraging grin. "Relax dude, it's just electricity. Anything happens then Ace and Sparx can take care of it."

"I don't think it works that way…"

"I need the power to run all this anyways," Chuck continued. He'd begun to tap away on the keyboard.

Mark dumped his school bag in the corner and then leaned on the back of Chuck's chair, craning over his shoulder to see the screen. "So you're finding Lady Illusion for Ace, yeah?"

Chuck nodded. "It's the least I can do for the guy. I mean…" he glanced up.

Ace and Sparx were across the other side of the Thunder Tower, playing with some clay pigeons. Sparx was tossing them into the air and Ace was blasting them. Or rather, trying to. His hit rate was usually pretty accurate, but today he was missing a fair number of the discs. Sparx frowned at him momentarily and then tossed another. She was showing an abnormally high amount of patience.

"I mean he's not exactly a wreck," Chuck continued. "But he did take it pretty hard. He deserves something good to happen to him, especially after… you know… what you told me 'bout learning he's just a game. That's gotta suck, man."

Mark looked at Ace as he spoke. "Yeah," he winced. "I get it. Has he told Sparx yet?"

"Don't think so…" Chuck was concentrating on the game again.

Mark glanced at Chuck's screens. One of these contained all code, which might as well have been in Japanese for all Mark understood. The other showed the game world. This the boy could at least somehow understand. It looked like Chuck was systematically searching the game to see where Lady Illusion had gone. "Maybe I should talk to him."

"He'll be happier once I get Lady Illusion out," Chuck said. "It won't take me long. "And then I can work on getting Rick out."

Mark let out a sigh. "Well, I'm glad you've got your priorities straight."

Chuck glanced up at him. "Wha?"

"Sorry. I can't say I'm too thrilled on helping that man get out of there. He basically ruined my life."

Chuck nodded. "I get it. That's why I'm leaving him until last. But Kilobyte's there too. He might try and use Rick, so…" He shrugged. "And, I mean, you wouldn't want all of this to have never happened, right?"

Ace had just missed another of the clay pigeons and instead sent a blast of lightning up into the ceiling. He let out a groan.

"No, of course not." Mark frowned and moved away from the desk. "Ace…"

The superhero turned at his voice. He smiled as he saw Mark. "Hey, kid, haven't seen you in a while."

"Sorry, I know I've been a bit busy…"

"Good timing," said Sparx. She winced and pointed to the roof. "Five more minutes and I think we would've had another… roof door…" she trailed off.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Roof door?"

Sparx folded her arms. "Hey, I don't know what it's called; do you?"

"Er…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She smirked.

"It's good to see you, kid," said Ace.

"Yeah, how are you holding up?" Mark shuffled a foot across the floor. "I mean… after everything."

Ace gave a not so convincing shrug. "Chuck is taking care of things. He'll have Lady Illusion back in no time."

Behind Ace's shoulder, Sparx rolled her eyes.

"I know, but I mean… everything else… "

Sparx frowned. "Like…?"

Mark's mouth hung open. "Um… like…"

"Like human emotions, Sparx," Ace snapped. He winced and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry…"

Sparx gave him a lopsided smile, which wasn't quite as forgiving as she was trying to make it. "It's okay. You two have your boy-talk about emotions, I'm good…" She wandered across to Chuck and started inspecting his power cables.

"Sorry, kid…" Ace muttered.

Mark sighed. "It's okay, Ace. But you haven't told her yet, have you?"

Ace glanced over his shoulder. He lowered his voice. "No, how can I? I know she doesn't have the full complement of your human emotions, but it's still going to hurt. I… I'm not sure if I can do that to her."

"You're going to have to tell her sometime, Ace. Just don't leave it too long. Girls don't… well, no one likes finding out something you should have told them ages ago. At least I've been lucky on that front…"

Ace nodded slowly. "Message received, Mark," he said with a small smile. "I'll… I just need to work out how."

"And look, if you need anyone to talk to in the meantime…"

"Thanks, kid."

"This better not suck all our power, Chuck!" Sparx voice interrupted them. "We do need it to power up…" At which point she kicked the transformer.

"Dude!" A shower of sparks erupted across the power cables. "I'm working here!"

"Sorry!"

Ace chuckled softly, shaking his head.

Mark glanced across at him, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

* * *

_The sixth dimension_

"Useless!" Tentacles smashed into the earth just inches away from the trembling man. Not that it was really earth. The dusty dirt floor was nothing more than code and pixels, just like everything else here. But that didn't mean what was here couldn't hurt you.

The Master Programmer cowered in front of a pixilated bank of computer screens. There was a chain linked to his ankle, and this was bolted into the ground.

Pacing in front of him was Kilobyte. The monster snarled, drawing his tentacles back in towards him. "Why do I keep you around if you're all but useless to me?!"

"I'm not useless, Kilobyte, I swear!" Rick stuttered. He was huddled on a computer chair, his knees tucked up to his chin. His arms were wrapped around the bundle he'd made of himself, as if this could somehow offer him some protection. "You need me to get out of this dimension, and you know it!"

"This game, you mean," Kilobyte snapped. "I'm losing my patience, programmer."

"Well, if you want to get out, you need patience! These computers aren't real either," Rick gestured over his shoulder. "It's going to be difficult with these, if not impossible…"

Kilobyte's tentacles extended again, upended the chair and tossed the man to the ground. "I'm sure you will think of a way, programmer. If I have to do this myself, well, what will happen to you does not bear thinking about."

"I'll find a way, Kilobyte! I promise!"

* * *

_The Thunder Tower_

Clay pigeons could only be entertaining for so long. Sparx blasted her last one and let out a loud, frustrated sigh. Apparently, no one had heard her. She looked across the Thunder Tower to Chuck's sprawling temporary computer setup. He and Ace were talking in low tones, intent on the screens. It was one of the days the kid had off school, so he'd been here since early in the morning.

"Can't see why this has to take up so much of everyone's time," she muttered. "Hey, Ace!" she called. "You ready for some action?"

"What?" Ace looked up. A disapproving frown was on his face.

"Look, I'm sure Chuck can do this stuff on his own, right Chuck?"

Chuck nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's not hard. I mean… easier without someone breathing down my neck…" he muttered into his shirt, and then started typing madly again.

"This is important, Sparx."

"I know, I know!" Sparx said with a sigh. "But what about Fear? I'm not telling you this because I'm bored, Ace. But Fear is a threat. We didn't defeat him, remember? We defeated Kilobyte. So Fear's still got all his Evils, even if he hasn't got any pieces of the amulet yet. For all we know he could be collecting those pieces, and we haven't even visited the Carnival in ages, so how would we know?"

"I think she's right, dude," said Chuck. "Fear wasn't defeated…"

"The amulet's not important," Ace growled.

Chuck put his head down and went back to typing code furiously.

"Um, excuse me? The amulet is not important? I know the emotions thing messed with you Ace, but are you sure you're thinking straight?"

"I'm thinking more clearly than I have in a while, Sparx," Ace sighed. "Look, if it's going to stop you interrupting us, go to the Carnival, alright? But I seriously doubt Lord Fear is going to be stupid enough to show his face."

Sparx folded her arms. "I thought you would be the first person to want to blast that bonehead back to the sixth dimension Ace, after what he did to your…"

"What good is blasting Fear going to do?!" Ace snapped.

Chuck sunk lower in his chair but kept typing.

"Just let me do this, alright, Sparx?" Ace wasn't quite looking at her, his tone subdued after the outburst. "Let me know if you find something."

Sparx shook her head. "Alright, Ace man. You just let me know when you're ready to work as a team." She gave a sharp whistle. "Lightning Flash!"

The vehicle zipped down from the top of the Thunder Tower with a whine and whisked Sparx away.

* * *

_Mark's house_

Mark's bedroom was a mess of paper and pens. His bed was covered in open school books. Crumpled paper and scribbled on loose leaf littered the floor. The boy himself was sprawled on the only spare space on the bed, leaning his chin on one hand, and frowning with a look of intense concentration at the text book in front of him.

"I really wish you'd explain your study techniques to me, son. I honestly cannot follow your logic."

Mark jerked up to see his father in the doorway. "Dad… I was… studying…"

"Well I can see that," Simon replied with a bemused smile. "Honestly, you spend half the school year running around madly, and I can't even tell when you find the time to study. Then you're spending half your Saturday on…"

"Maths," Mark said with a groan. He pushed himself to a sitting position. "I hate maths."

Simon came and picked up the textbook his son had been puzzling over. He knelt down next to the bed and studied it for a moment. "Ah, compound interest. The answer's two thousand and forty dollars by the way."

Mark pulled the textbook back. "It is not…" He flicked to the answer section at the back of the textbook and stopped, staring.

"And forty-three cents," Simon added with a smirk.

"I don't get how you do that," Mark smiled. He slammed the book closed with a thud.

"Well," said Simon, "I am an accountant. I suppose it's kind of like my superpower, or something."

Mark snorted.

"Go on. You've been up here for three or four hours at least. It's Saturday. Go outside, you're a teenager!"

Mark paused for the briefest of moments. "Thanks, Dad." He dumped the textbook and was gone in seconds.

* * *

_The Carnival of Doom_

"Mortals. They've got the shortest memory file I've ever come across…"

After parking the Lightning Flash behind one of the sideshow booths, Sparx had started to sneak around. But now was not the time to look for Lord Fear; even she could see that. The Carnival was full. Mortals were everywhere. Playing the games, eating all the food. They seemed to have forgotten that only weeks before this very same place had been swarming with aliens. Or swamp gas. Or something like that.

"Hmm… I can't do a full scale search with the place packed. I'll have to try and be… inconspicuous…"

"You're a pretty lady," said a small voice.

Sparx whirled and drew her sword.

Staring at that sword's very tip was a small girl of about four or five. She had a bunch of pink candy floss in her hands that was almost the size of her head, only this had been punctured and sat on the tip of Sparx sword.

"Oh…" Sparx winced and drew back the sword, shaking off the floss. "Sorry…"

"Wow! Can I have a sword like that? My mommy would get me one but I don't know where she's gone… And your outfit is cool."

"Um…" Sparx knelt down. "I'm kind of trying to stay out of sight here, kiddo. You want to go find your Mom?"

"I'm not sure where she is…"

Sparx sighed. "Alright, kid. Tell you what, you sneak around with me and look for your Mom. I'll look for my… buddies too, deal?"

The little girl grinned. "Deal!"

* * *

_The Thunder Tower_

"Maybe Sparx is right," Ace muttered. He paced in front of Chuck for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, maybe," Chuck typed away.

"I mean, I can't just sit around here and do nothing. I should see if I can find Fear, or help Sparx, or…"

"Yeah, could be useful, dude."

"I have no idea what you're doing, I can't help…"

Chuck hit about thirteen keys at the same time. "Ace, you know what…"

Ace stopped pacing, and looked at Chuck. "What?"

"Er…" Chuck stared at him for a moment. "You know, you're right, you should do something useful. Might be helpful if you went to the Carnival and tried to find a piece of the amulet. It might… er… give me a bit more power and make it that much easier to bring Lady Illusion back."

Ace smiled faintly. "That would help?"

"Um… yeah, sure dude."

Ace broke into a grin. "Thanks, Chuck. That's a good idea. Much better than hanging around here." He shot up into the air. "Catch you later."

Chuck watched him leave through the roof. "Thank Zoar…" he muttered. Then he let out a huff and put his head in his hands. "Oh, I'm a horrible, horrible, person…"

Ace roared through the atmosphere and was at the Carnival in no time. At which point some of his excitement faded. He had no idea where to start looking for pieces of the amulet. "Well, at least there's a point to finding at least one." He landed and rolled his shoulders. He drew in a sigh. "Here we go again…"

Behind one of the nearby booths, a snout poked out. "I thoughts I smelt vermin. Hehe." The Rat watched Ace head around one of the booths. With a flap of this wings the rodent darted into the Haunted House.

He was greeted by the sound of organ music. Lord Fear was absolutely pounding the keys.

"Game's on, boss!" Rat had to shout to be heard. He darted over the organ. It was the only way to be noticed.

"Watch it, mate!" Staff Head snapped.

Rat ignored him. "LF! Lightning's here!"

Lord Fear pounded the keyboard. If he had intended to produce a chord, it certainly didn't sound like one. "Well, it's about time!"

"My lord," Staff Head cut in, winding his way in front of the Rat. "If I might say, perhaps it is not the wisest idea to attack Lightning. You know he'll be angry. I know I advised you not to stay someplace safe, not, you know, your much prominent usual hideout?"

"And I told you I wanted Lightning to find me!" Lord Fear grasped his totem by the 'neck' and tossed him out of the way.

"Ow! Is that any way to treat a loyal servant… my lord…"

"Woah, woah, hang on a minute," said the Rat. "You want Lightning to destroy you?"

Lord Fear let out a sigh. "No, you imbecile. I want him to find me."

Staff Head righted himself. "You know, I say this as your most loyal servant: but if Lady Illusion wanted to destroy herself, she certainly went about it the right way. She's got no one to blame but herself."

"Maybe," Fear growled. "But as for me, I blame Lightning. No, I don't want Lightning to destroy me, Rat. What I want is a fight. Now show me where he is."

The attack was sudden and unexpected. Ace was scanning the area behind the Haunted House when something hit him in the back, knocking him to the dirt. His power only dropped by seven percent.

"Come on, Lightning. On your feet, you moron!"

Ace pushed himself up and turned around. "Fear…" he growled. "I thought you'd be hiding, you coward."

"Oh, I'm the coward am I? I've been right here, Ace Lightning. Waiting for you to have the guts to come and take responsibility for your actions."

"_My_ actions?"

"Am I not speaking English? You must remember our dearly departed, Lady?"

"Come on," Rat was positively bouncing up and down in the air. "Let's get him, boss." He produced an energy sphere.

"Stay out of this!" Fear swung around Staff Head and knocked the Rat flying. The rodent smashed into the back of the Haunted House and the bomb exploded, sending him fizzling into ones and zeroes. "Where were we?"

"I think you were about to accuse me of something I didn't do," said Ace. His voice was cold.

"Ha! You know it was your fault. I would have never shot her if I didn't think she were you…"

"You sent her into the datastream! There wasn't even any reason for us… for us… grah!"

"Oh my, we are articulate today, aren't we Lightning? Yes, I think that argument will convince me to confess the error of my ways!"

"He's kidding, just in case you didn't catch on…" said Staff Head.

"Oh, shut up!" Fear hurled his staff into a nearby rubbish bin. "Idiots, all of you!"

Ace frowned, momentarily distracted by the muffled sounds of Staff Head trying to escape the bin. "Maybe I should've come earlier; your battle strategy is suffering…"

"Be quiet, you vapid nitwit! This is between me and you, and you know it! If I have to fight you without my loyal, if annoying, staff just so I can throttle you myself, so be it!"

"So what are you saying?" Ace's attention was now firmly back on Fear. He adjusted a wrist canon with a scowl. "Fists only?"

"What's wrong? Scared bone will beat muscle?" Fear's arms had already begun to extend from his sleeves, and he had moved into a crouch.

Ace watched him for a moment. And then his jaw and his muscles tensed. "No, Fear. This is for Lady Illusion!" He hurled himself forward, tackling Fear to the dirt. He managed to smash two fists into the skeleton's face before Fear's limbs curled about him.

The two became a tumbling ball of grunts and flying fists, though the power behind these were severely diminished simply by how close the two were to each other.

Staff Head, finally able to pull himself out of the rubbish bin, kicked a few times to dislodge a candy wrapper stuck to his foot. There was no way he'd be able to blast Ace Lightning without hitting his master as well. He let out a sigh and leaned back against the bin. "Blimey, this is going to take a while."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: **I apologise in advance for writing was has to be the most ineffectual fight scene in Ace Lightning history... :3

* * *

Sparx blew out a pent up breath. "Your mom's gotta be here somewhere, Sophie."

The little girl who had been dragging her around for the past half hour hardly seemed perturbed. She leaned out into the midway, hanging off of Sparx's hand. Sparx stayed concealed between the booths.

"Ooo!" said Sophie. "I think I can see her!"

"Thank Zoar…" Sparx muttered.

"No, Sparx. Don't go yet!"

Sparx lifted up her arm, but the girl stayed attached to her hand. "How are you doing that?" She lowered her back to the ground.

"I want to give you a present for helping me find my mommy…" Sophie had a little pink handbag with her. She began to riffle through it. "I won some stuff at the sideshows earlier, but some of its ugly…"

Sparx couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, I get an ugly present? Yay."

"Here." Sophie finally produced her prize from her little handbag.

Sparx eyes widened. The girl held a piece of the amulet. _Their_ piece of the amulet. The one Mark usually took care of. When they'd smashed it back when they'd defeated Kilobyte every single piece had scattered. "I… um… thanks, kid."

Sophie passed it to her. "I know it's ugly… but I think you can make it pretty. Bye, Sparx!" And with that she dashed out into the midway and pelted towards a rather flustered looking woman.

"Well, that went well…" Sparx said. She put the amulet into her jacket. "Now…" She slipped back behind the booths, looking for where she'd parked the Lightning Flash. But then she heard a sound.

"Huh… sounds like… someone's having a fight." She broke into a grin. "It's about time." Sparx followed the sound of grunts and came to the back of the Haunted House.

What looked, at first glance, like a tumbleweed rolled past. It came to halt. Fear and Ace were entwined and scuffling. Fear had managed to get one of his limbs wrapped around Ace's throat. He twisted his neck up around beside Ace's head, at which point Ace punched him in the face. This was enough to send them tumbling again and they rolled across the scant lawn.

"What in Oblivion…" said Sparx. Her jaw hung open as she watched.

"I wouldn't interfere if I were you, Sparxie."

The voice made her jump. Staff Head was not less than four feet away from her, sitting against the side of the Haunted House. Sparx whipped out her sword and pointed it at him. "So it's just you and me, stick?"

Staff Head drew himself upright, but didn't power up. He eyed her warily. "Much as I would love to blast you, my duty here is to look out for Lord Fear. He…" he trailed off. Both he and Sparx watched the tangle of limbs again bounce by. "He and your buddy Ace Lightning are a little occupied right now… I'd like to keep an eye on them and make sure my loyal master does not get himself hurt."

Sparx lowered her sword. "I don't think they can hurt each other like that… what in Zoar's name are they doing anyway?"

"They've been at it for the last twenty minutes. It's all about Lady Illusion. Fear wants to make Ace pay for what happened with his own two hands… and same goes for Lightning, I suppose."

"Typical," Sparx groaned. "But I can understand wanting to win a fight on your own…" The duo again rolled past. Sparx raised an eyebrow. "But not like that…"

"Look," said Staff Head. "Temporary truce? I won't blast you and you don't blast me, but if either of those two look like they're in trouble and we both go in blasting and normal rules apply. Deal?"

Sparx let out a groan. "I honestly don't know what else to do." She shook her head. "Deal."

Staff Head settled himself back against the side of the Haunted House, and Sparx sat down beside him. They both peered around the corner, staying just out of sight.

The rather ineffectual scuffle did not last for much longer. Ace threw a final punch at Fear and flipped them both apart. One of Fear's arms caught on Ace and transferred some of his momentum, and they both ended up tumbling into the wall of the Haunted House where they slid down to the ground, barely a few feet apart.

"This is ridiculous!" snapped Fear. He was panting, and drew his neck up from where it was intertwined with his legs. He was now in as close to a sitting position as possible, though his arms still hung loosely from his sleeves.

"You started it…" Ace muttered. He was flickering slightly, but not enough to warrant an immediate recharge. He slumped against the wall and hugged his knees.

"I did not, you muscle-bound moron!" Fear pulled off his hat and began to dust off loose grass. "Honestly, to get yourself knocked out in the final battle… what did you expect me to think!?"

"You weren't supposed to shoot me! We had a deal."

"Oh, you trusted me, how touching. What kind of fool are you?!"

"Argh!" Ace pounded a fist into the dirt and then started absent-mindedly pulling up clumps of grass.

"You're really knocking yourself out on the insults today, Lightning." Fear snapped. He let out a sigh. "I didn't want to destroy her, you know. When I found out she liked you… I thought I wanted to. But I would have never gone through with it." His lip trembled. "She… I wouldn't have sent her back if I had known."

"No, you just wanted to destroy me…"

"You crippled me in battle, Lightning!"

"This is all so stupid!" Ace tossed his dirt clod to the ground and stood to his feet.

"Yes, we'll never successfully obliterate each other like this. I'll get my staff…" Fear pulled his limbs in and clambered up.

"No! Not that!" Ace paced in front of his enemy.

Fear paused and eyed him warily. "Then what?"

"You. Me! This whole ridiculous battle that just goes on and on and on… And why? Because apparently I crippled you…"

"Apparently!?" Fear growled. "You may think it funny, but you are not the one with a limp."

Ace spun around. "It never happened!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's all just made up backstory; we're all just, just…"

"Those emotions did your head in more than I thought, you buffoon."

"We're all just from a video game, Fear. Ace Lightning and the Carnival of Doom, it's a video game. It's designed by mortals…"

Fear's eyes narrowed. He stood in front of Ace, blocking his nervous pacing. "A video game? You mean those things those foolish mortal children play?"

Ace sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "Yes, that's what I mean. The sixth dimension is just a video game. It's not real. We were never real until we came here. Some… programmer messed around with things and brought us to life. It was all part of some plan of his. He created Kilobyte as well…"

Fear grabbed Ace by the collar. "And where did you find this nonsense out?"

Ace shoved Fear off. "I hang around with 'foolish mortal children', remember." He let out a sigh. "I found out a couple of weeks ago; Mark told me."

"And you didn't blast him on the spot!?"

"No! It's not his fault. He's as much a victim as the rest of us."

"Fool!" Fear glared at his adversary for a moment, and then he too seemed to deflate. "All this… it has been for nothing?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"And so I blast you because I believe you are my adversary. Only it is not you, but Lady Illusion. And she is sent back to the datastream… to this game. If we had but known she might still be here."

Ace looked at Fear. "Yeah. So maybe I can't really blame you. Does… does this change anything?"

Fear sniffed. "Between us, you mean?" He drew himself upright. "I cannot say, Lightning. We have been in this world a while. I'm sure I could find something to hold against you. Yet… you have given me much to think on. Leave my Carnival. Now. And I will leave you be for the moment."

Ace nodded slowly. "Alright, deal. I'm… I'm sorry, Fear." And with that he shot up into the air and was gone.

"Don't apologise to me, you cretin!" Fear shouted behind him. He straightened his jacket as he turned away. "It's disturbing…"

"Did you hear that?" Sparx and Staff Head were still hiding around the side of the Haunted House.

Sparx was staring at the spot Ace had been standing. She blinked and looked at Staff. "Huh?"

Staff Head sniffed. "We're not real? I think… I think I need a hug…"

"Get off of me!" Sparx slipped out and up before Staff Head could get a coil around her.

Fear was already making his way over, shuffling with his limp. He looked at the ground, his gaze far away, but it wouldn't take him long to return to his loyal staff.

Sparx strode away from them, leaving Staff Head mumbling miserably to his master. She made it to the back of a sideshow booth, where she finally stopped and leaned heavily against the wooden boards with one hand. "The sixth dimension is just a game?" Then her vacant stare twisted into a scowl. "Ace knew for weeks, and he never told me! Instead he tells Fear?!" She pounded her fist into the boards beside her and they splintered. "But of course, he's so busy looking for Lady Illusion…" She stomped off, looking around for the Lightning Flash.

"Hey, Sparx!"

Sparx whirled around to see Kat just emerging from between the sideshow booths.

"You need to be careful, I saw you from the midway. Someone might… hey, are you alright?"

"Did you know about this?" Sparx snapped.

Kat stared at her blankly. "About what?"

"About this being just a game!"

"What, you guys? Yeah…" Kat frowned.

"And you didn't think maybe we'd like to know?!"

"Woah, hang on," Kat held up her hands. "You guys didn't know? I thought you did… I mean, you don't exactly blend in."

"Oh for crying out loud!" Sparx snapped. "I'm not discussing this with a mortal!" She whistled sharply and the Lightning Flash appeared. She jumped on board and zipped off.

Kat was left staring up into the sky. "Isn't that a bit racist?!"

* * *

_The sixth dimension_

"How goes our extraction, programmer?"

Rick nearly fell out of his chair. Kilobyte leaned so close his breath was on the programmer's neck. It was perhaps worse than the tentacles. "Ne… nearly…"

"Because I don't see much progress." That's when the tentacles came in. One snaked its way around Rick's middle and squeezed.

"Wait…" Rick gasped. "I'm close I swear…"

The tentacle loosened. "Then you'd better convince me."

"I… I've picked up something else in here." Rick drew in deep breaths, holding a hand to his stomach. "Someone else is trying to get someone out."

"I hardly think they wish to rescue us."

"Will you stop behaving like a typical evil overlord and listen to me?!" Rick hissed. His eyes widened and he drew back against the console, eyeing Kilobyte warily.

Kilobyte folded his arms and his lip curled, but he did not send his tentacles out again. "Go on."

"Okay. So it's probably Chuck. He's tried this sort of thing with Sparx before; get her out without another piece of the amulet. But look, if I can lock onto his signal, and get everything set up before he actually makes the transfer, then we can piggyback on that signal and we'll both be free."

Kilobyte nodded. "Good. I won't have to strangle you just yet, programmer. Get on it." He turned and, mercifully, left Rick to his own devices.

Rick let out a pent up sigh and turned back to his console. "I'll get on it, Kilobyte. I'll get myself out of here, but not you. Then maybe I'll have a chance to fix this whole bloody mess."

* * *

_The pizza shop_

Mark was chatting to Brett at the table that sat outside the pizza shop. The afternoon was wearing on and the fact he had nothing else to rush off and do was liberating. And then Kat turned up. She parked her bike against the wall and then slid onto the other side of the bench. "Mark, I need to talk to you."

"Hey, Kat," Brett grinned. He was still smirking over something he'd said to Mark.

"Alone…"

Brett's eyes widened. "Oh-oh." He quickly vacated his seat and slapped Mark on the shoulder. "Good luck, man."

Mark tensed. "Um… did I do something?"

Kat let out a sigh, and gave him a faint smile. "No, Mark. I wanted to talk to you about Ace Lightning. I figure you don't want to discuss it in front of anyone else."

"Oh, yeah, right." Mark gave his girlfriend a nervous grin. "My bad. What's happening? Has Chuck found Lady Illusion yet?"

"I don't know. But I was down at the Carnival, and I saw Sparx…"

"Wait, you were at the Carnival? That's dangerous…"

Kat rolled her eyes. "Mark, I was at the Carnival, in the midway, with all the other customers. I do know how to keep out of trouble, okay? I didn't see any of the Evils, but I bumped into Sparx. And then she yelled at me."

"She does do that occasionally…" Mark winced.

"Not to me she doesn't. I think she was upset, she said something about being from a video game…"

"Oh no," Mark let out a sigh. "Ace must've told her."

"Didn't they know? I mean, it's kind of obvious."

"Not to them it's not. Look, to them this is, or was, just another dimension. Another level of the game. Ace only figured it out a few weeks ago, and I've been trying to get him to understand it for ages before that."

Kat leaned back and let out a sigh. "That must suck. I know what it's like to be somewhere strange; but if I found out none of my life before that even mattered…"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, me too. And if you think you've got some duty to save the world, then you find out your only purpose is to entertain mortal kids…"

"Yeah." Kat stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Thunder Tower; you coming? Sparx will end up back there eventually, and if she's calmed down and wants someone to talk to or explain things…"

"Yeah, good idea."

The two teenagers collected their bikes and headed off.

* * *

_Airspace above the Junkyard_

Sparx had circled the town a couple times when it really started to sink in. "I can't believe Ace didn't tell me…" she sniffed. "He knew for weeks?" Sparx wiped a hand across her face and then looked at it frowning. "Ew, what am I leaking?"

She glanced down at the landscape below her. The Carnival was still churning with activity; the sounds of the children's voices and music drifting up to her. A short distance away the junkyard sat silently. Sparx frowned down at it. "I bet he hasn't even told the big guy…" she paused for a moment, one hand drumming on the Lightning Flash's left control stick. "Well, it's better than talking to mortals."

With a whine the Lightning Flash dropped to ground level. Sparx dismounted cautiously. "Random?"

The cyborg wasn't immediately visible, but sounds of crashing could be heard from around a pile of junk in the back of the yard. Sparx crept around and found a rather dilapidated car hulk being made even more so by Random Virus. He had his claw inside the thing's bonnet and was tugging on one of the larger components.

"Nearly…" The car finally gave up and the engine popped out, flipped over Random's head and smashed into the wall behind him. "Someone please explain to me the logic of cast steel for fingers…" Random groaned.

"It is good for hitting things." Sparx slowly approached, eyeing him carefully.

Random looked momentarily startled, but then sighed. "Don't worry, Sparx." He gave her a lopsided smile as he slammed the bonnet shut. "My good side's in control."

"I was worried for a second, what with what you were doing to that poor car."

"I need tools…" he began. "Never mind. I was wondering when you or Ace were going to show your face."

"So Ace hasn't talked to you?"

"I haven't seen either of you since the final battle. Don't worry, I understand. You've got things to do and you don't need to risk me flipping out on you. But I was hoping one of you'd show. I… look I'm not a hundred percent sure. But I seem to be getting a hand on my Evil. Ever since Kilobyte brought that kid in here and tried to get rid of him and Ace, and since the final battle… I don't know…"

Sparx frowned. "You smashed yourself into a shield, Random. Are you sure?"

Random shrugged sheepishly. "It was worth a shot. And I sort of figured if I was unconscious I couldn't hurt the mortal."

Sparx nodded. "Kat. But… well, I guess that means you don't know."

"Know what?"

Sparx scowled. "Stupid Ace has been so busy trying to find Lady Illusion… and then I went to the Carnival… and then Ace was talking to Fear…" Her words had begun to run together and she was waving her hands about.

Random frowned. "Sparx, are you alright?"

"No! Okay…" she drew in a breath. "Let me start again. I heard Ace talking to Lord Fear. He said that Mark told him the sixth dimension is just a video game."

Random blinked. "A what?"

"Something mortal kids play! Someone called a programmer made us come out in the real world; I don't think that's what usually happens. The point is – it's not real. We're not real Random. Everything that happened in sixth dimension is a lie. It was just made up to entertain the mortals!"

Random stared at her for a moment. He glanced at his claw as he slowly clicked it. "Everything?"

"Yeah! And Ace tells _Fear_, of all people!"

"Why are you telling me this?" Random growled.

"Just because you're stuck in this junkyard doesn't mean you don't have a right to know. And Ace isn't going to…"

Random spun around so his back was to Sparx. "I was sawn in two by a BuzzBeast for entertainment? All this, this this garbage in my head is supposed to be fun!?"

Sparx sighed. "Random, I'm sorry. It's a lot to take in…"

Random's eye flickered briefly to red and back again and he shuddered, putting his hand to his face.

"Is your evil side…?" Sparx began, taking a step back.

"No!" Random spun back around. His right eye glowed bright green. "Go away! Just get out of my junkyard!"

"Don't yell at me, you dumb lugnut! I thought you'd…"

"Leave me alone!"

"For Zoar's sake I'm just trying to have a conversation!" Sparx called the Lightning Flash and climbed aboard. She paused briefly, the scowl on her face softening a bit even as she glared at Random. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "I thought you'd want to know." And with that she was gone.

Random Virus glared after her for a moment. Then he turned and smashed both claw and fist into the car's bonnet behind him. He leaned heavily on both, the car sagging under the weight, his chest heaving as he drew in deep breaths.


	3. Chapter 3

_The Thunder Tower _

When Mark and Kat arrived at the Thunder Tower they found Ace pacing the floor, muttering to himself. Chuck was still busy with his computer gear.

"What's up with Ace?" Mark asked Chuck.

Chuck was thumping away madly on his keyboard. "Don't know."

"He's…"

"Dude! Not now!" Chuck gritted his teeth and the clatter of keys increased.

Kat raised an eyebrow in Mark's direction. "Maybe we should ask Ace…"

"Yeah."

Ace only noticed Mark when he was almost in front of him. "Woah, kid…"

Mark was only briefly startled. When you were nearly eaten by various Evils every second day of your life, getting bowled over by a distracted superhero wasn't all that unsettling. "Ace, are you alright, mate? You're going to wear a hole in the floor at this rate."

Ace sighed and crossed his arms, looking at the floor. He still appeared fidgety. "I thought about what you said earlier, Mark. About talking to Sparx. Problem is I have no idea how to start, and…"

"Wait," Kat interrupted. "I thought you already told her?"

Ace frowned and shook his head. "No. I only told Lord Fear."

Mark blinked. "Lord Fear? Wait… why?"

"Long story, kid."

"Well, Sparx knows," said Kat. "I saw her at the Carnival, and she didn't seem very happy…"

"The Carnival?" Ace groaned. "Oh no… she must have overheard."

Before the conversation could go any further they heard the whine of an engine. The Lightning Flash dropped in through the roof.

"Ace!" Sparx shouted down. "I need to talk to you!"

"Better tell her you didn't know she was there…" said Mark under his breath.

"Better start apologising and make it good…" said Kat, at exactly the same time as Mark.

They both glared at each other.

Ace glared at them both before turning to Sparx. "Sparx, I know what happened; I'm sorry… you're right, let's…"

It was at that moment that Chuck let out a triumphant yell. "Oh, yeah baby! I am the back door _King_!"

"Chuck?" Mark frowned.

It was impossible for anyone in the room not to give the boy their full attention. Even Sparx brought the Lightning Flash down to the ground and followed the others over to Chuck's computers. Chuck glanced at all the expectant faces. He had everyone's undivided attention, and he was relishing it.

"What?" Sparx snapped at him.

Chuck continued to grin. "Lady Illusion," he said, twisting a finger in the air, which he then stabbed down on the 'enter' key. "Is coming home."

There was a roar. A purple light burst into existence at the centre of the Thunder Tower, its glow lighting up the building in the dying afternoon light. From the depths of this portal appeared a withered looking zombie.

"Um… Chuck…" Mark began.

But then the zombie seemed to look about and gather where it was. It suddenly twirled and spun, and then dissolved into the form of Lady Illusion. The woman dusted herself off. "Well done, mortal," she said to Chuck. "I don't know how you saw through my disguise and then brought me here, but I am grateful."

Chuck gave a lopsided smile. "Dude, I'd know your code anywhere."

Lady Illusion raised an eyebrow in his direction, but she may have also been smiling faintly. She turned to Ace, and the smile was now more than apparent. "Ace…" she said warmly.

She got no further. Ace covered the space between them in a microsecond and snatched her up in his arms. He spun her around, lifting them both a few feet off the ground and eliciting a faint gasp from her. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight, burying his face briefly in her neck. "Illusion…"

He set her back gently on the ground, his hands still resting on her shoulders.

Sparx snorted. "Wonderful. As if it wasn't crowded enough in here already. You gonna tell her too Ace? Or you wanna let Fear do it?"

Ace's whole body tensed. He turned around. "Sparx…" he growled.

Lady Illusion put a hand on Ace's arm. "Ace, wait…" she stepped past him and faced Sparx.

Sparx frowned at her. "You want to do this now, Lady?"

Illusion nodded. "Yes, I do. Sparx… I want to apologise to you."

"Yeah, well bring it… wha?" Sparx blinked.

"For all the fighting we did. I… misunderstood. About you and Ace. And I've decided I'm not going to be working for Fear any longer. So there's no reason for us to fight, or be angry with each other."

Sparx stared at Lady Illusion. Complete silence had fallen over the Thunder Tower. "I…" she began. Then she just sighed and shrugged. "Alright, fine. But you can relax, Lady." She glanced at Ace. "It wasn't you I was angry at anyway."

She turned to leave, and then paused in front of Mark. "Not that it matters much now, kid," she said, reaching inside her jacket. "But I found this when I was at the Carnival. Here." She pushed the piece of the amulet into his chest. Then she stomped out of the Thunder Tower.

Mark stared at the amulet piece.

"Sparx," Ace began. "Wait…"

"It's okay," said Kat. "I'll go talk to her." She followed Sparx outside.

Mark turned the amulet piece over in his hands a few times then with a sigh put it in his pocket. He glanced briefly at Ace and Lady Illusion. "Um, Chuck, why don't I help you start packing up your computer equipment?"

"Dude, that can wait…"

Mark glared at him.

"Oh, right."

The two boys moved away from the couple and began busying themselves tidying the computer cables.

Ace led Lady Illusion across the Thunder Tower. "You have no idea how happy I am to have you back," he said, taking her hands in his.

Illusion smiled. "Me too, Ace. But… what was Sparx talking about? What did you have to tell me?"

Ace sighed. "I shouldn't put it off, should I? I'll just get myself in trouble again."

"What is it?"

Ace drew in a deep breath and steadied himself. "This whole fight, Fear and me, the sixth dimension… Mark told me a short while ago, but…" He paused, and swallowed hard. "It's all just a game, Illusion. A video game. It's not real. We're not real. Not until we came to this dimension. This world is real… and ours isn't."

Lady Illusion stared at him for a moment. "What? We're… so my allegiance to Fear…"

"It was just programmed."

Lady Illusion stared at the floor.

Ace's shoulders slumped. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said eventually. "But if everything we are is fake…"

"No." Ace took a hand and gently raised her chin. "This… it was never in the game. You and me. This is real."

Lady Illusion gazed into his eyes for a moment, and then she pressed her lips to his and kissed him for a long moment.

Mark glanced up only briefly, then seeing what was going on bent down to busy himself picking up cables once again.

Chuck was nowhere near as discreet. "Aw, dude, look at 'em…"

"Chuck, really?" Mark hissed.

"I so wish I could tell Jess that this is real. She totally 'ships those two."

* * *

_Rick's Computer Shack_

The sudden influx of energy had sent loose paper and discs churning in a mini whirlwind about the room. Rick landed face down in this mess, his hands gripping onto the paper on the floor. He groaned, and pushed himself slowly up.

He only got about halfway before he slumped back down into a seated position against his computer rig, drawing in deep breaths. He was shaking, and as he gathered his wits about him he stared at the computer screen that glowed bright purple. This was the source of his entry. The purple hues still churned away deep inside it, but there was no sign of Kilobyte.

Eventually, the man's breathing slowed. "Oh God, what am I doing?" he groaned, putting his face in his hands. He stayed like that for a long moment.

Then the vibration started. It began from the computer, and eventually Rick felt it. He lifted his head and then jerked to his feet. "No, no, no!"

The whole rig was rattling now. From within the portal on the screen tentacles wound their way up. They were still far away, but struggling to pull themselves higher.

"I made sure there was only enough power for me! I made sure he couldn't get out!" Rick wailed.

But the monstrosity was pulling itself up.

"He's… he's too powerful. Oh God, I made him too powerful. He knows how to manipulate the programming too… he'll still get out! Unless…" Rick looked about him. He dove onto the floor and riffled through the paper, picking up discs, looking at them, and then tossing them over his shoulder. "I made backups, lots of backups; if I can find a control disc…"

A haphazard search of the room found nothing. Rick was so flustered he was almost in tears. "Where is it!?" He hurled the last disc he held at the computer screen, and it bounced off harmlessly.

Kilobyte was closer now. Rick could see his body attached to those tentacles, being hauled higher. He was like a squid stuck in a fast flowing pipe, but he was still moving against that flow. Rick made a weak whimpering noise and dashed for the door. He slammed into the frame and then stopped, one hand pressed flat against the wall. He looked back over his shoulder and then glanced back out the door.

He looked back at the computer. "I… I may not need the disc. I'm still the Master Programmer. I can still… I can still do this…" Drawing in a deep breath, Rick moved back to the computer. He righted his computer chair and sat down shakily.

"Well… do right, fear not. I guess." With that his fingers hit the keyboard and became a blur.

THE END


End file.
